Author Archives: dh-johnston.com

Shed warm coats and hats, this season springs of beginnings. Come out, start anew.                              -Deb Johnston

Ponds and lakes sealed in ice, locking the schools below. The curl of the auger bites through. Silver fins and scales scour for rations dangled hook by hook. Risking freedom, she reaches for that one last morsel.  -Deb Johnston

smudged markings near your eyes like a wide receiver on game day but your’s are night games with feet like tiny hands foraging for food —Deb Johnston

Bare ice unveils in plain view, creatures pass this way. I’m merely a guest, whether den, lodge, or nest, uninvited near someone’s home. —Deb Johnston

“Far out in the ocean, where the water is as blue as the prettiest cornflower, and as clear as crystal, it is very, very deep; so deep, indeed, that no cable could fathom it: many church steeples, piled one upon another, would not reach from the ground beneath to the surface of the water above.Continue reading “Danes Hall, in Wisconsin”

“In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks.” —John Muir

We wish to walk on the sand,    to view tumbled treasures. Take what you need, but leave the rest. Share the trove of the commons. We came to rest near your shore,     cleanse away our haste. Let my waves wash up to greet you, dissolving the rush. We are here to renewContinue reading “LAKE SUPERIOR”

With black stripes that announce “tiger king,” a tiger swallowtail butterfly lifts golden wings that drift and glide, as he sips nectar and ferries pollen. With a linger here, a perch there, and swish of a barn-swallow tail, he rises above with goodwill. There is a time to scatter,  and a time to gather. AContinue reading ““Tiger King””

The Woodpecker on dining detail no one works harder swoops in taps out termites grabs a grub a fly-by piercing leaves behind a newly-riddled wall            Deb Johnston

You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. Please remember that your difficulties do not define you. They simply strengthen your ability to overcome. —Maya Angelou